KADAPA: With the Annamayya project on Cheyyeru getting emptied following a breach to its bund on November 19, municipal, panchayat and irrigation officials of Rajampet are in a dilemma as to how to meet drinking and agriculture needs of the region as it is a principal source of water.
The Rajampet municipality is dependent on the Annamayya project for its drinking needs. Alternative water sources cannot meet its drinking needs fully, particularly in the ensuing summer.
The municipality with a population of 65,000, used to get 7.4 million litres of water a day from the Annamayya project to meet its drinking needs. The municipality is now getting 4.5 MLD of water only from various other sources, which is highly inadequate.
Considering the gravity of the situation, the State government has started making alternative arrangements to supply drinking and irrigation water to people with Rs 1.7 crore. Unused borewells and intake wells and the Attirala water scheme are being revived to overcome the crisis. To meet the drinking water needs of Rajampet alone, Rs 50 lakh has been released. Nine bore filters have been sunk in the Annamayya project to draw water using 7.5 HP motors. Water drawn to the intake well will be supplied to the municipality.
A sum of Rs 60 lakh has also been sanctioned as special grant to repair 35 under utilised borewells and sink five new borewells and fix motors for all the wells. Another Rs 60 lakh has been released for revival of the Attirala water scheme.
Speaking to TNIE, Rajampet Municipal Commissioner M Janardhan Reddy said, “Alternative arrangements are being made to ensure uninterrupted supply of water to all wards in the town. Repairs of borewells and intake wells will be completed in a week. The Attirala water scheme is expected to be revived in 20 days. As of now, there is no drinking water shortage in the town. Water is being supplied through tankers to wards if they face any shortage.”
Farmers of the region waged a long battle to get the Annamayya project. The project has an ayacut of 22,500 acres, which brought prosperity to villages abutting it. With no water in the project, it will be difficult to meet the irrigation needs of the region in Rabi and Kharif. However, no alternative arrangements seem to be made to overcome the crisis. Invariably, farmers need to depend on rains and groundwater to meet their irrigation needs till the project is repaired.
As there is no guarantee of adequate rainfall, farmers of the region are a worried lot. “We may face severe shortage of irrigation water for the next crop. The scope to raise crops under borewells is very limited. Hence, we are in a fix,” said K Ramakrishna of Eguva Mandapalle who suffered a huge crop loss in Cheyyeru deluge.
“The deluge has ruined our lives. I will raise the next crop if there is adequate water under borewells. Otherwise, I will give up cultivation temporarily,” rued M Srinivasulu Reddy, a farmer from Pulapathuru.